Secret Cold War Project Revealed After 45 Years

(NEWSER) - It may sound like a B-grade espionage thriller, but foreign cyberspies have infiltrated the US electrical grid and stand ready to wreak havoc at the right moment, the Wall Street Journal reports. The foreign hackers—from China, Russia, and elsewhere—have left behind software programs that could theoretically allow them to bring mayhem to the grid. Security officials say, however, that they're not sure about the hackers' motives and don't see an immediate threat. More»

Cites teacher's found passport as proof of meddling in Georgia

(NEWSER) - To support its claims that US intelligence agents played a role in the Georgian conflict, the Kremlin has produced a US passport belonging to an Army veteran from Texas, the Wall Street Journal reports. They say the passport was found in an outpost used by Georgian special forces. The alleged spy, Michael White, is an English teacher in China. More»

Patriot Act not enough, he tells lawmakers

(NEWSER) - China and Russia are spying on the US at nearly cold war levels, the nation's top spy told lawmakers today. Vice Admiral McConnell defended the Patriot Act as necessary for US defense and asked Congress to give intelligence agencies even greater eavesdropping powers. His testimony comes weeks after an alleged strike by Chinese hackers on the Pentagon. More»

California-based couple targeted DuPont pigment: officials

(NEWSER) - Spies aren't just after government secrets these days: An indictment unsealed last month spotlights US efforts to crack down on corporate spying. The government has filed criminal espionage charges against a China-owned firm, saying Pangang Group was after DuPont chemical secrets—specifically, its efficient method for producing the white pigment titanium dioxide, the Wall Street Journal reports. It's the first time such charges have been lodged against a state-owned foreign firm, the Justice Department says, as federal agents crack down on foreign governments' attempts to pilfer US intellectual property. More»

Agents were after info any student could find

(NEWSER) - The most baffling thing about the arrest of 11 alleged Russian deep-cover spies is why Moscow went to all that trouble in the first place. The coded messages, bag drops, and the rest of the Boris-and-Natasha schtick appears to have been part of an effort to gather information about American foreign policy and technology that would have been easy enough to find by reading newspapers, attending conferences, or surfing the Internet, note security analysts. More»